


The Trace of Innocence on the Pillowcase

by charity_hope



Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Implied/Referenced Rape/Non-con, M/M, Malec, Saphael, clace, virgin!Alec
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-08
Updated: 2019-05-20
Packaged: 2020-01-06 20:53:19
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 6
Words: 10,428
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18396158
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charity_hope/pseuds/charity_hope
Summary: Alec spent 25 years in the closet and when he finally came out, all he wanted to do was just to lose his virginity.He didn't expect to meet Magnus. And he definitely didn't expect for things to move quickly between them.





	1. The One Where They Went to the Club

**Author's Note:**

> Hi!
> 
> I'd posted this before but I took it down because I lost my inspiration for this story. But I'm giving this another go because I'd hate not being able to finish it.
> 
> I hope you enjoy. Any comments and suggestions are highly appreciated!

Alec didn’t expect to feel as light as he was feeling now, all the weight just dropped off his shoulders the moment those words left his lips. “I’m gay,” he had said in front of his entire family and Clary and Simon. He didn’t know why those two were here but he just couldn’t be bothered to care anymore. Clary was like an unexpected acne that suddenly popped out on your skin and Simon was the scar. It was easier to ignore their existence and treat them as mere inconvenience.  
  
Maryse had her glass halfway to her lips when Alec blurted it out and it hovered in the air for a second before she took a sip, then another and another before swallowing and putting the wine glass down. She cleared her throat, exchanging looks with Robert for a brief moment. Isabelle didn’t bother to hide the obvious glee in his face while Jace just looked unperturbed by the revelation. The whole table was engulfed by silence. Clary looked at Alec and his parents then at Jace, not sure where to settle her eyes and Simon fidgeted awkwardly with the napkin on his lap.  
  
“What’s gay?” Max asked, breaking the silence that had engulfed the table. He looked at Alec, innocent eyes wide and curious. There was a small chuckle coming from Isabelle which was quickly followed by a guffawed laugh from Jace. Soon enough, the tension that was so palpable just a few seconds ago melted away.  
  
“Well, it means Alec here likes boys,” Isabelle answered for him, lips quirking into a half smirk. Max mulled that over for a few moments then as if he felt satisfied with the answer, he shrugged and poked at his chicken with a fork. “My brother, you’ve lived for 25 years and only now you decide to tell us? Not say that I’m surprised though. I mean I’ve always kinda sorta known.”  
  
“Kinda sorta known?” Alec repeated, eyebrows rising as he casted a look towards his younger sister. Jace shrugged from his place next to Alec.  
  
“Well…” Jace started but stopped immediately as Alec put up a hand with a look on his face that could freeze hell. Maryse smiled, reaching over across the table and took Alec’s hand.  
  
“Alec, your father and I, we just want you to be happy,” she said and that made Alec smile so wide his face started to hurt.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
“Well, that went quite well,” Jace commented, taking a seat on the couch as soon as Maryse, Robert and Max left. Alec shrugged, still unable to wipe the smile on his face as he shut the door and went to the living room to join the others. “So what now?” Jace asked as Alec took a seat on the chair opposite him, Clary curled up by his side with Simon and Isabelle sitting side by side on the other love seat.  
  
“Honestly, I don’t know. I guess I’m just glad that it’s out in the open now,” Alec said.  
  
“Just out of curiosity,” Isabelle started, leaning forward in her seat, shooting Alec a devious look. “Have you ever  _done_  anything with a man before?” At that question, everyone turned their attention towards Alec who had started to blush profusely. He scratched at the back of his neck even though it wasn’t itchy. “Oh my God!” Isabelle exclaimed, bringing one hand to cover her mouth, obviously gleeful. “We need to get you to meet someone. You have twenty-five years of gay experience to catch up with!”  
  
“First of all, I only realized I was gay when I was 13, so I don’t miss out  _that_ much,” Alec replied. “Secondly, I’m not discussing my sex life in front of a stranger.” At that, he gave a pointed look towards Simon who in turn rolled his eyes.  
  
“That really hurts,” Simon replied dryly. “But anyway, if you, y’know, want to… I don’t know… do something or meet someone. I know of this really cool gay club not too far from here.”  
  
“How do you know about such a place?” Clary asked, shooting Simon a questioning look. This time, it was turn for Simon to blush and fidget uncomfortably in his seat when everyone’s attention shifted towards him. Alec smirked, obviously pleased that he no longer had everyone’s eyes on him.  
  
“I know a friend who knows the owner of the place. He can get us in for free, I suppose,” Simon answered with a shrug, adjusting his glasses that had gotten slightly askew. At Simon’s answer, once again everyone turned to look at Alec in expectation.  
  
“Well…” he started, staring at everyone one by one. Isabelle who looked like she was about to jump out of her own skin in excitement, Jace who had a mildly curios look on his handsome face, Clary who was openly intrigued, and Simon who raised his eyebrows in challenge.  
  
And Alec was not one to back off from a challenge.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Alec stood by himself, leaning against the wall with a bottle of beer in his hand. He looked around the club, bobbing his head up and down in time with the beat of the music. The place was almost packed with people, gay people. Shirtless men dancing and grinding against each other, women sucking each other’s faces off. Alec had never felt like such a virgin in his life until right this moment. Everyone was so open with their sexuality, flaunting it and beckoning others who were interested closer.  
  
Jace and Clary were in the middle of the dance floor, dancing close to each other, completely ignoring the fact that they were the only straight couple there. Isabelle was also dancing on the dance floor, completely comfortable moving her body to the beat of the music, not caring who was staring. Simon was on the other side of the club, back against the wall with a man crowding against him, whispering things in his ear. Upon their arrival at the club about an hour prior, they were greeted by Simon’s ‘friend’, Raphael who got them in without much fuss. And now, Alec was alone, nursing his beer as he took in the sight.  
  
Despite his bravado, agreeing to check out the club and maybe finding someone to pop his cherry – he cringed at the thought of that phrase – Alec wasn’t sure if this was going to work. When he was still in the closet, he used that as an excuse not to ask any girls out on a date or anything. There was a close call with Lydia, a woman he knew at work. But then Lydia openly admitted that she wasn’t interested to have any non-professional relationships with her colleagues so they remained good friends to this day. And since Alec had never been out, he also never tried asking a guy out in fear that people would find out. Now that he thought back about it, he realized how silly he was being.  
  
Alec was pulled away from his thoughts when he felt like he was being watched. He lifted his head and caught a sight of a man with his hair gelled up high on his head staring at him. He returned the stare and smirked when the man smiled at him. Alec wasn’t sure how he got this bold as he motioned for the man to come to him with a slight nod and he couldn’t stop staring as the man made his way closer.  
  
“Are you here with someone?” the man asked, his voice was deep and he spoke in a smooth drawl as he stood right in front of Alec. Alec couldn’t help but notice how the man was slightly shorter than he was. He closed his lips around the mouth of his beer bottle and hollowed his cheeks in a sucking motion as he tipped the bottle back slightly. He swallowed the liquid, grimacing a bit and licked his lips as he let the bottle go with a pop of his mouth. The man watched the unsubtle innuendo and smirked, stepping closer and not-so-subtly rested his hand on the Alec’s forearm. He smirked back, his dark eyes twinkling in delight.  
  
He was beautiful, Alec decided, with his tan skin, dark eyes covered with heavy eyeliner and eccentric clothes. He would be lucky if he were able to bring this man to bed with him tonight, there was no doubt about that. “With my friends. But they’re currently preoccupied,” Alec replied, staring blatantly at his mouth as he’d once again licked his lips, his pink tongue darting out.  
  
“Well, wanna dance?” the man asked, gesturing towards the dance floor. Alec was not a dancer, his body as stiff as a board but he wouldn’t let this chance go.  
  
He just let the man pulled his hand and dragged him towards the throngs of body on the dance floor. The music was something Alec had never heard before but it had a powerful bass sound and it thrummed through Alec’s body, making him feel like his heart was thumping along the music. He had only a bottle of beer since he arrived so he was nowhere near drunk but there was this nice hum in his body as he moved along the music, letting the man put his hands on Alec’s waist and they danced close to each other. Alec turned around, pressing his back close to the man’s chest and moved his hips in what he hoped was a seductive move. It must’ve worked because the man’s grip on his waist tightened and pulled him closer. Alec gasped when he felt something unmistakably hard poking his backside and grinded his arse against it just to make sure. If the man’s answering low moan was any indicator, Alec was sure he was in for a treat tonight.  
  
“Wanna go somewhere… quieter?” the man breathed against Alec’s ear and he had never agreed to something so fast in his twenty-five year of life.


	2. The One With the Blue Balls

“Yes, yeah, okay,” Alec agreed quickly, gasping up for air when the man’s grip on his hips tightened as he grinded dirtily against Alec’s ass. Alec turned around, wrapping his arm round the man’s neck and brought their faces closer. “Can… can I kiss you?” His eyes are glued to the pink of the man’s lips and God, he’d never felt like this before. It was like his entire body was on fire and he would disintegrate into dust if nothing happened soon!

“Hmmm…” the man hummed, smirking slightly as he hooked a finger through Alec’s belt loop and tugged, making his head spin. “Polite. I like it.” Then, he surged in and captured Alec’s lips with his in a searing kiss.

Alec briefly wondered how he had gone his whole life without ever kissing anyone. Kissing this man was exquisite. It wasn’t like he had anyone else to compare to but he figured it would feel just as good with anyone else. The slide of their lips together just made Alec’s head swam. The man sucked on Alec’s bottom lip and when he gasped, the man took that as a chance to slip his tongue into Alec’s mouth.

“Oh my God!” Alec moaned against the man’s lips as he licked into Alec’s mouth. The man pulled away, much to Alec’s dismay as he tried to chase back the kiss. The man chuckled, bringing his face to Alec’s ear to nip at the lobe. Alec let out a whimper at that.

“Magnus,” the man whispered, his voice barely heard over the heavy thump of the music surrounding the club.

“What?”

“That’s my name. I would love to hear you moan my name next time.”

Magnus. Oh yes, the name definitely fitted him, alright. Just as exotic, just as beautiful.

“Oh, fuck!” A gasp left Alec’s lips when one of Magnus’ hand crept around his waist, snaked down and grabbed a handful of his ass. He licked a long strip from Alec’s neck to his ear.

“That’s just what I have in mind,” he purred into Alec’s ear and for a moment, Alec’s brain short-circuited as his hips involuntarily thrust forward, eyes closing with pleasure. He was half-worried that he would come right there and then with Magnus leaving little nips and licks on his skin. Magnus kept massaging and groping at Alec’s ass as they rutted against each other right there in the middle of the dance floor with people pushing and crowding against them. Somehow, the people surrounding them made everything better, knowing that if they had just paid a bit more attention to Magnus and Alec right now, they would be able to see how Alec was so desperate for it. It felt as if he had lost all of his inhibitions and the feeling was exhilarating.

Magnus was significantly shorter than Alec himself. But right now, even though Alec had to bend down slightly to slot his mouth against Magnus’, he didn’t feel that big. With Magnus’s arms all around him, crowding him and touching him everywhere, Alec just could melt right there where he was standing on. Alec re-opened his eyes, about to tell Magnus just to take him away already when he caught sight of his sister on the other side of the dance floor, pressed in between two guys.

Alec knew Isabelle was more than capable to take care of herself. Their family owned one of the biggest martial arts institutes in New York, it would be a shame to the Lightwood’s family name if they couldn’t even protect themselves. However, he was still a big brother, a protective one at that. So he immediately saw red the moment one of the guys pushed against Isabelle even though the girl had made it clear she wasn’t interested with the way she kept pushing him away. Regretfully, Alec disentangled himself from Magnus, ignoring the confuse look the man shot him and stalked towards his little sister.

“I said, I’m not interested.” Alec heard Isabelle said as he reached her. Her voice was hard and there was a hint of danger laced in it. Isabelle had each of her hands pressed against the chests of the two men respectively. They however just ignored her obvious rejection and moved in closer.

“Oh come on, pretty face. We’re gonna have so much fun,” one of them said, leering disgustingly as he unabashedly checked her up and down, as if eating her up with his eyes. Rolling his eyes, Alec tapped at the man’s shoulder until he turned to look at him, annoyed expression painted across his face. “What?”

“I believe I heard she said she’s not interested. So can you back off?” Alec said coolly, bringing both hands to his back.

“I’ve got this, Alec,” Isabelle said, rolling her eyes a little at her brother.

“I know you do,” he replied, shrugging. She smirked at him, returning her attention towards the two men. “As I said, boys, I’m not interested.” With that, she squeezed between them to make her way towards her brother.

Not having it, one of them turned around and grabbed roughly at Isabelle’s arm. “Not so fast. You were dancing there, teasing us and now you wanna leave us high and dry? I don’t think so.” Alec was just about to get into his fighting stance when Isabelle twisted her body, pulling the man along and turned to slam him down onto the floor. A few people surrounding the area screamed in surprise at the sudden ruckus. The deejay had stopped playing the music as everyone’s attention had started to shift towards them. The other man made a move towards Isabelle but Alec was quick to grab him by his arm and twisted it behind his back, making him wince in pain.

“Hey, hey,” a voice said and as Alec turned, he began to flush slightly when he saw Magnus coming closer. He raised an eyebrow towards the two men, one down on the floor with Isabelle stepping on his back, the other one with his arm locked behind his back, held by Alec. “You two. I thought I’d banned you from ever entering my club.” Magnus snapped his fingers a few times and two big, burly men emerged from the crowd and grabbed the two men, pulling them away and out. Magnus clapped his hands a few times, “okay, everyone. The show is over. Get back to your dancing and drinking and grinding,” he announced, nodding at the deejay minutely who immediately started to play the music again.

“Your club?” Alec asked as Magnus shrugged.

“Guilty as charged,” he replied, then turning his attention towards Isabelle. “I’m Magnus Bane, the owner of this club. I’m so sorry that you had to go through that awful, awful situation. The two of them had been kicked out numerous times before for inappropriate behaviors.” He extended his hand towards the younger Lightwood. When Isabelle accepted the gesture, he kissed her hand and winked.

“Eh, it’s nothing I can’t handle,” Isabelle responded, returning Magnus’ smile. “I’m Isabelle and this is my brother. Although, I saw you two were acquainted already.” At that, Isabelle threw a smirk towards Alec’s direction and he just wished that the floor would just open up and swallow him whole.

“Oh, darling, we were just getting started.” The teasing lilt in his voice just caused Alec’s blush to deepen as he pointedly tried not to look directly at Magnus. “As much as I wish to… resume our activity.” He gave a one long, lingering look at Alec before facing Isabelle again. “Alas, I need to have a little talk with the security so I can ensure the safety and comfort of my clientele. I hope I’ll see you around soon. Now, please, excuse me.” As he walked past them, he made a point to brush his hand on Alec’s and then he left.

“Ugh! You’re such a cockblock!”

“I didn’t ask for you to stop smooching and come to help me. I was more than able to defend my own virtue, thank you,” Isabelle retorted, adding a roll of her eyes for good measure. Alec huffed and bumped his shoulder against hers.

“Whatever. There’s nothing left to do here anyway. Let’s find Jace and Clary and get the hell out of here.” Isabelle didn’t say anything, just followed her brother to locate their friends among the crowds.

*~*~*~*~*~*

Later that night, as Alec lied alone on his bed, his mind kept replaying the event of that night. He closed his eyes, remembering the kisses and the touches, the hard line of Magnus’ cock against his hips. Alec ran his own hand down his neck, mimicking the ghost of Magnus’ lips that he could still feel on his skin. With his other hand, he snaked it into the elastic of his sleeping pants and cupped at his cock.

He wasn’t hard yet but he was getting there as images upon images from earlier bombarded his mind. A soft sigh escaped his lips when he gripped at the length of his cock, tugging a few times to get it nice and hard. “Magnus…” he moaned, remembering the whispered words in the middle of a noisy, crowded club. “Magnus…” he repeated, loving the way the name just rolled off his tongue.

He brought two fingers into his mouth, sucking at them hungrily, getting them wet and sticky with saliva before pulling them out and brought them down to tease against his hole. He didn’t push in, the saliva not enough for a smooth insert but even the feeling of his fingers pressed against his rim, teasing him was enough to make his toes curl. His hand on his cock sped up, jerking faster and harder.

And Alec came just like that, fingers massaging around his hole with his cock in his own hand, Magnus’ name fallen from his lips in a soft whimper. As he laid there panting in the afterglow of a surprisingly strong orgasm, Alec smiled and licked his lips, reminding himself to thank Simon somehow for taking him to that club in the first place.


	3. The One With the Phone Call

Magnus Bane looked around his packed club without interest from his own private booth. In one hand, he was holding his favorite drink, a martini and he had his other hand carelessly draped over a twinky male’s shoulder. The guy was wearing a skimpy cropped t-shirt, showing off his midriff and a tight pair of jeans that hugged his ass just nicely. Magnus wasn’t really thinking anything when he picked the guy from the crowd, just wanting a hot body against his own. The guy was pretty with his blonde hair and green eyes. But Magnus wasn’t really into blondes and he was quite sure that he wouldn’t even bring the guy home tonight.  
  
As he took a sip of his drink, his mind wandered towards a certain dark-haired man that had managed to pique his interest since a few nights ago. Now, that was his type. Tall, dark hair, dark eyes and those sinful lips. Magnus licked his own lips as he recalled their heated kiss and the man’s soft breaths against his skin. He had to adjust his seating position, not to alert his current companion that he was already on his way to sport a semi.  
  
“You wanna dance?” the guy next to him asked, Tim, if he remembered correctly. One of his hands caressed at Magnus’ chest, a flirtatious smile graced his thin lips. Yeah, on any other day, Magnus would probably close a blind eye on the blonde hair and have his way with the guy. He was just the right side of cute and his bright eyes were wide and innocent looking even though the look he was giving Magnus was anything but. However, right now Magnus didn’t really feel up to it so regretfully, he disentangled himself from Tim, smiling apologetically.  
  
“I’m sorry. I’m not really in a dancing mood tonight.” Tim’s face fell but Magnus really couldn’t bring it in himself to feel guilty about it. “Why don’t you order something at the bar? It’ll be on me. Just tell the bartender my name, Magnus Bane.” He assessed Magnus, lips pursed for a moment and as if deciding that he didn’t want to waste his time, he shrugged and got up. But not before he planted a smacking kiss on Magnus’ cheek. He then left the booth, hips swaying as he walked away.  
  
Magnus wiped at his cheek and finished his drink before setting the empty glass on the table. His eyes roamed around the crowded room, drinking in the sight of sweaty bodies moving against each other to the beat of the music, the strobe lights casting a sort of colourful glow to the dance floor. On any other nights, Magnus would have accepted Tim’s offer for a dance and maybe he’d be grinding dirtily against the guy right there in the middle of the dance floor, not caring if anyone was watching. However tonight, he knew Tim wasn’t what he wanted. Nor any other bodies currently on the dance floor. His mind had been hooked on the dark-haired man with beautiful hazel eyes. He knew it was stupid and the chance for him to ever meet the man again was close to none but that brief encounter was memorable.  
  
Magnus sighed as he caught sight of Raphael who had his arm looped around Simon’s waist. Raphael had met Simon a couple of months ago at a gig where Simon’s band was performing. And they had been sort of together ever since. When asked if they were exclusive, neither of them would give a solid answer and since Magnus wasn’t the kind that liked to poke his nose into other people’s business, he just let it be. Raphael was mature enough to know what was good for him anyway, Magnus reasoned.  
  
“Hey, Magnus,” Simon greeted, smiling wide from ear to ear as both he and Raphael slithered into the booth, right opposite of Magnus. Magnus just nodded lightly, acknowledging their presence. “So, I know this is none of my business,” Simon started and he was fiddling with his thumbs, a nervous tick that Magnus had already witnessed too many times before. “But… did you… were you… how do I say this.”  
  
“What is it Simon?” Magnus asked, his tone lazy as he inspected at the chipped black polish on his nail. He rolled his eyes for good measure when Raphael took one of Simon’s hands into his own and rubbed gentle circle on the back of Simon’s hand with his thumb. Simon smiled and visibly relaxed a fraction before he turned back to look at Magnus.  
  
“So you made out with Alec?” Simon blurted out.  
  
“Alec who?”  
  
“Alec. Tall, dark hair, handsome but mean face…” Magnus raised an eyebrow. Yeah, those descriptions sounded familiar but how did Simon even know? “Anyway, he wanted to see you again, actually but he’s been busy.”  
  
“Right… so you’re the middle man?” Magnus questioned, unable to help the way his lips quirked up in a smirk.  
  
“Well, not really. He didn’t even know that I’m here talking to you about him. His sister asked me to find you because for some reason she’s very invested in his personal life. That family honestly have no boundary. It’s kind of weird, to be honest,” Simon started to ramble and Magnus wanted to take a jab at Raphael seeing the way Raphael looking at Simon with such a fond expression. Couples in their honeymoon period were disgusting. “But anyway, here.” Simon fished something out from the pocket of his jeans and slid it on the table towards Magnus. It was a piece of paper with a phone number written on it. “It’s Alec’s phone number. Izzy asked me to give it to you but please don’t tell Alec or he’d probably break my arm or something.”  
  
“If you’re so afraid of him, why’d you give me this?”  
  
“Have you met Izzy? If I didn’t do what she asked, she’d be the one breaking my arm or something.”  
  
Magnus let out a chuckle at that. He remembered the girl. Beautiful and fierce. “So… his name is Alec, you say?” Magnus said, picking up the paper and read the numbers written on it with messy scribbles.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Alec’s fists hit the punching bag repeatedly multiple times. Punch, punch, kick, punch, kick. Left, right, left, right, right, left. His chest heaved with the exercise, sweat dripping down his back but he’d never felt more alive. Alec liked his training sessions, his muscles straining as he worked them and pushed them against the limits.  
  
He had his own training room at the institute and that had given him the privacy to train whenever he wanted without anyone disturbing him. For the past few days, his mind had been occupied with the thoughts of a certain club owner and he just wanted to get those thoughts out of his head. Of course, he was eager to meet the man again sooner but then when he woke up the next morning, doubt started to grow.  
  
The man was no doubt experienced, if the way he easily turned Alec into putty with his touch alone. Alec was not Jace who was always confident and sure of his own appeal. He wasn’t Isabelle who could get anyone she wanted wrapped around her finger. He was Alec, a virgin, and as inexperienced as it could get. Maybe his first time shouldn’t be with a man like Magnus. Maybe Alec should find someone more his league. Maybe he could find some guy who came to the institute’s gym facility to get the embarrassing first time fumbling done and over with. Maybe if he’d done it a few times, the next time he’d see Magnus, he wouldn’t be too easy to unravel.  
  
For the past few days, he could feel the sexual tension was so palpable that the only way Alec could channel his energy was with his training. So that was what he had been doing when he had no classes to teach. He would hole up in his own personal training room and train. His muscles was screaming at him from use but he revelled in the feeling, loving how every move reminded him of their use.  
  
He stopped his assault on the poor punching bag, chest heaving and glistening with sweat as he picked up his water bottle from his bag on a bench perched against the wall. He took a sip, exhaling loudly after he swallowed. He was about to take another sip when his phone started ringing. Frowning and wondering who would be calling him at this hour, he tossed the bottle aside and fished out the phone from his bag. His frown deepened when he noticed that it was an unknown number.  
  
“Hello?” he answered carefully.  
  
 _“Am I speaking to Alec?”_  The voice on the other side sounded so familiar, just like Alec remembered it to be and something twisted in the pit of his stomach. He cleared his throat.  
  
“Um… yes.”  
  
 _“I’m not sure if you remember but I’m…”_  
  
“Magnus. Yeah, I remember you.” He wanted to punch himself in the face. He sounded way too eager even in his own ears. He didn’t have to guess to know how Magnus had gotten hold of his number. He would need to have a conversation with Isabelle and probably Simon, if he had guessed correctly about the importance of minding their own business. But right at that very moment, he couldn’t really think about anyone else. Magnus was calling him! He heard a light chuckle from the other end and bit his lower lip.  
  
 _“Right. I believe our previous meeting was rudely cut short,”_  Magnus said. “ _I was just wondering maybe you would like to go out with me sometime? Maybe go out and have a drink?_ ” Alec wasn’t totally daft. He knew the man was interested in him, at least physically, if what they did the other night was any indication. He just couldn’t believe that a man as magnificent as Magnus would even pay attention to him.  
  
“That sounds like good idea. When?”  
  
“ _Tomorrow night? At my club?_ ”  
  
Alec weighed his options. He could go see Magnus, have a drink and maybe see where things would go. But tomorrow night seemed too fast, would he even have time to prepare? And what exactly should he be prepared for? He recalled his earlier plan of finding someone to pop his cherry so he wouldn’t be a complete idiot in front of Magnus. But how could he find someone on such a short notice?  
  
“Tomorrow’s really not a good time,” he said slowly, licking his lower lip and puff out a breath. “Maybe… I’ll call you back when I’m free?”  
  
There was silence on the other line and for a moment Alec thought he’d probably pushed Magnus away. He sucked his bottom lip into his mouth and worried it between his teeth, anxiety building up rapidly. His heart was rabbiting so hard in his chest cavity it felt like it was going to jump out through his throat.  
  
“ _Don’t make me wait too long, Alexander,_ ” Magnus finally answered and Alec knees nearly buckled under him to hear Magnus calling him with his full name. He didn’t say anything, couldn’t think of anything clever to reply to that so stupidly, he hung up, the hand holding his phone fell down to hang loosely by his side.  
  
What had just happened?


	4. The One With the Dating App

”What are you doing, brother?” Alec turned towards the door to see Isabelle leaning against the wall by the door, shaking her head towards him. He didn’t say anything, just staring dumbly at his sister as she pushed herself off the wall and made her way towards him. “Was that Magnus?”  
  
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Alec said defensively, his hand instinctively hid his phone behind his back. She rolled her eyes at him and took a seat on the bench near him. She didn’t say anything, just staring at him expectantly, one eye brow raised in a challenge. After a few seconds, Alec’s shoulders sagged as he sauntered towards Isabelle and took a seat next to her. “I just don’t know what I’m doing,” he said finally in a doubt-laced voice. “  
  
“I don’t mean to be weird by talking about your sex life… or lack thereof,” Isabelle started which earned a glare from Alec. She chuckled lightly at that and put a comforting hand on his shoulder. “From what I saw the other night at the club, you seemed to know pretty well what you were doing.”  
  
Alec’s ears turned bright red at her words. He reminded that night vividly, the images of Magnus so close, the scent of Magnus’ cologne and the way Magnus’ body felt against him were etched in his mind. He took in a deep breath and willed his brain to think of something else, anything at all to avoid sporting a semi right there with his sister sitting right next to him. As if sensing Alec’s predicament, Isabelle’s nose scrunched up in mock disguise as she shoved at Alec’s shoulder playfully, earning a chuckle from the eldest Lightwood.  
  
“That was… I didn’t even know what came over me that night,” he admitted with a shrug. “I guess it was the alcohol,” he added lamely.  
  
“You barely had one bottle of beer. You weren’t even that drunk. Come on, tell me. What’s really stopping you?”  
  
Alec contemplated for a moment. In one hand, he felt it was highly inappropriate and embarrassing to discuss about his sex life with his younger sister. On the other hand, Isabelle was more than just a sister to him. She was also his best friend, his best confidante after Jace. If Jace were here right now, of course he would talk to him. But he wasn’t and Alec was left with Isabelle, which wasn’t so bad, he supposed.  
  
“I guess at the club, I was still a little bit high from coming out. All the excitement and the adrenaline and the club were all over me and messing with my head. Then there was Magnus, God, he was hot!” he blurted out and blushed even more at Isabelle’s leering grin. “But… well now that my mind’s cleared up I realize. He’s like  _really_  hot.”  
  
“And him being hot is a problem because…?”  
  
Alec took a deep breath. He didn’t know how to explain what he was feeling to her. Isabelle had always been confident in her own being. He tried not to think about it because she was his sister but Alec knew, Isabelle was not lacking in her sex life. So she wouldn’t understand his predicament. That was also the same reason why he hadn’t talked about it with Jace as well.  
  
While he knew Jace wouldn’t mind listening, it would be a huge embarrassment for him. Jace lost his virginity when he was 14 to a girl two years older than him. Alec would know because the blonde wouldn’t stop talking about it for weeks. At that time, Alec had only listened and tried to keep his face interested because by then he already knew he didn’t have the same wonder and obsession Jace had over boobs and vagina.  
  
“I just don’t wanna embarrass myself. He seemed like he really knows what he’s doing and it’s a little bit scary to think of just jumping into all that. I mean, it’s not like I want to marry him or anything like that. I don’t even think I want to be serious with anyone just yet. It’s all just so new. So many possibilities, so many routes to choose from and I don’t know how or where to start.” He looked down at his feet, eye brows met in a frown. “And for some reason I don’t want Magnus to know how inexperienced I am.”  
  
“So basically, you want to bang him but you don’t want him to know you’re a virgin?”  
  
Alec grimaced at how vulgar it sounded coming from Isabelle’s mouth.  
  
“When you said it like that, yeah I know it sounds stupid.”  
  
“Well, I don’t know Magnus so I can’t be sure but I don’t think he would even mind. He seemed to be pretty into you. And besides, if you’re still too concerned about it, well, you wouldn’t know unless you try. It’s like swimming. You need to test the water before dunking your whole body in.”  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Later that night, Alec lied on his bed alone, phone in hand as he stared at the app he had just installed into his phone.  
  
Testing the water, Isabelle had said.  
  
He had just installed Tinder on his phone and right now, he was trying to set up his profile. He scrolled through his camera roll, trying to find some photos to add. There was one with him and Jace in front of the institute, Jace smiling his blinding smile to the camera and Alec was sporting his usual frown. He looked at another one, of him alone sitting one of the equipment in the institute’s gym, shirtless. He immediately flipped to another photo, cringing at how suggestive that photo would look. Finally, he settled with a nice, simple photo of him from a year ago wearing a cute Christmas sweater and another photo of him with Isabelle and Jace by the pool table, just to show that he wasn’t some loner who never left the comfort of his own room.  
  
Feeling satisfied with his photos selection, he moved over to the info section of his profile.  
  
_Nothing too serious_  
  
He typed but immediately pressed backspace, shaking his head. It was too short and presumptuous.  
  
_Lets meet for coffee and see from there?_  
  
Fuck! He thought. He was never good at this sort of thing. Jace was the one who was good with words and knew how to approach people and not make himself look too desperate. Alec thought long and hard. He didn’t have too much hope from this dating app but he knew Isabelle was right. He should start somewhere, testing the water. And in this day and age, what better way to meet people than an online dating app? Finally, he decided to settle on something less pervy and more him.  
  
_Likes include martial arts, archery and cats. Here to meet new people and maybe make a connection. Swipe right, maybe?_  
  
Reading his bio a few times to check if he had any typos Alec finally clicked ‘Done’ and submitted his profile. He let out a breath and willed for his heart to stop rabbiting in his chest. This was nothing. It was just a dating app profile. Nothing too big about it. He tried to tell himself.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
“Yeah, fuck me harder,” Magnus moaned, licking his lips as the man behind him kept pounding into his ass. Magnus closed his eyes, snaking his hand down and gripped his own cock, tongue darting out to wet at his bottom lip. His conquest for the night was a tall man with dark hair and light eyes, it couldn’t be said that Magnus didn’t have a type. His body was muscular and built almost similar to Alec.  
  
After Alec hung up on him, Magnus had made his way to his club. Magnus Bane was anything but desperate, he knew that. He could easily get anyone he wanted, tonight was the perfect example. But for some reason, Alec managed to get under his skin even though their first and only encounter was short. Brief as it was, it was no less memorable. The way Alec kissed, tentative and unsure but there was no hiding the heat and underlying current of need and want buried underneath.  
  
“I’m close,” the man grunted and Magnus’ hand faltered on his own cock, eyes reopened. He rolled his eyes in annoyance. He had specifically told the man to keep quiet. He had managed to imagine getting fucked by Alec but the moment the stranger opened his mouth, his fantasy shattered. However, he himself was too close to his own orgasm that he felt it would be a waste to stop now. So Magnus clenched his ass and smirked when the man’s hips stuttered before he slammed into Magnus hard and stopped, cock twitching inside Magnus ass. His moan ripped out from his throat.  
  
Closing his eyes again, Magnus jerked his cock faster, imagining Alec’s face, that mouth and those big, strong hands. He recalled Alec’s breathless voice against his ear, the warmth of Alec’s lips against his kiss. With a twist of his wrist, Magnus came, Alec’s name falling from Magnus’ lips in a silent whisper.  
  
Magnus grimaced when the man pulled out, his hole clenching against nothing. When the man tried to pull him into a cuddle, he pulled away, sending the man a smirk. “Thanks, but I don’t cuddle,” he said, getting up and stretched, feeling satisfied at the soreness he could feel all over his body. “I’m going to clean up. I believe you can show yourself to the door?” he continued, turning away without even bothering to spare a look at the man on the bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uh... this story has gone to a different direction than I originally planned. But! I assure you that it's a good thing because this means I already have things planned ahead which means, I can continue writing.
> 
> Anyway, thank you very much for all the support so far.
> 
> xxLina


	5. The One Where Alec Got Lucky

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning: This chapter contain mention of rape. There is no actual rape scene but yeah, it is mildly mentioned. Read with caution, I guess.

Alec walked slowly, hands stuffed inside the pockets of his jeans, not sure what to do with them as he spared a look towards the man walking next to him. He was good looking enough, dark brown hair, green eyes and a little bit taller than Alec, which meant he was quite tall considering Alec himself was not lacking in height.  
  
It was a few days ago when he found himself a match with Joseph on Tinder. They chatted back and forth for a bit before decided to exchange contact number which then led to them arranging their first date. To say that he was nervous was an understatement. Joseph was nice enough, proposing them to meet at the subway stop a few blocks from Alec’s apartment, a public space so either one of them could easily tap out if they got uncomfortable.  
  
They had dinner at a nearby restaurant where they served this weird Turkish-Mexican fusion food. Alec had been a little taken aback when he took a look at the menu, kind of unsure of what to order but Joseph seemed to think highly of the restaurant so he figured it shouldn’t be too bad. He ended up no finishing the food in his plate, the taste too strong for his liking.  
  
“So, you live around here?” Alec started, not able to take the silence any longer. They didn’t talk much during dinner, somehow neither of them could find a topic interesting enough to get the conversation going. When one would bring up a topic, the other would reply with short, choppy sentences, not sure how to take it further.  
  
“Uh… yeah,” Joseph mumbled, shrugging. “Just a couple blocks from here.” He pointed ahead and Alec nodded before they both remained silent again. After they were done with dinner, Joseph had invited Alec to his place for coffee. While he was a virgin, Alec wasn’t stupid. He knew what was coming and by this point, he just wanted to get things done and over with just so that he could make that call to Magnus and not be a stupid, stuttering idiot in front of the man. Alec was lost in his own thoughts and was startled the Joseph suddenly stopped in front of an apartment complex. “We’re here,” Joseph said, pointing his chin towards the general direction of the building. “You sure you want to come in?”  
  
Well, at least he seemed respectfully enough to ask so Alec took a deep breath before nodding his head minutely. He followed as Joseph led them into the building.  _Here goes nothing,_  Alec thought to himself.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Alec ascended the stairs to his apartment quietly and stopped when he reached the door to his unit. His mind mulled over the event of the night, slightly confused on how he should take everything. It took him a while before he finally fished out his keys from the inside of his pocket and opened the front door to let himself in. As he got inside, the living room was dark, which was understandable given how late it was. Jace was probably sound asleep in his room already.  
  
Quietly, Alec put his keys inside the bowl on the table by the door and made his way straight into the kitchen through the living room. He turned on the kitchen light then picked up a glass from inside the overhead cabinet and filled it halfway with tap water, guzzling it all down his throat in one gulp. He took a few deep breaths as the event from tonight came back at him like a bulldozer inside his mind, finally everything came crashing down at him. Everything had happened so fast, he had a hard time digesting everything.  
  
The glass slipped from his hand, breaking into tiny pieces as it hit the floor. Alec turned to the sink, bending down as he retched out the water he had just drank and kept heaving dryly once there was nothing else to throw up. He turned the tap, letting the water flow to wash down his vomit as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand.  
  
Alec jumped, startled, when he felt someone touching his shoulder, recoiling at the contact. He turned around, eyes wide and he was faced with a worried looking Jace. “Hey, man. Everything okay?” Jace asked, giving Alec a full-on concerned look. He reached to touch Alec’s hand and Alec didn’t notice that he was shaking as Jace pulled him to sit on the stool by the breakfast counter. “What happened?”  
  
Alec looked up, searching Jace’s face, his lips trembling as he couldn’t yet find his voice to speak. He kept opening and closing his mouth, trying to make the mumble jumble in his head to make sense so he could just spill out everything to his best friend. A moment later, Clary came padding barefoot into the kitchen, wearing shorts and Jace’s shirt which was slightly bigger on her. She rubbed her eyes, obviously was waken up from her sleep and Alec felt a little guilty.  
  
“Careful… glass,” he croaked out, warning Clary as she entered the kitchen so she wouldn’t step on the glass pieces on the floor. Clary’s eyes widened as she watched her steps and made her way to stand next to Jace in front of Alec.  
  
“Alec… come on, tell me. What’s wrong? What happened?” Jace asked again, pulling another stool and motioned for Clary to sit down, he himself still standing, hunching over so his eyes were level with Alec’s.  
  
“I almost got drugged and raped… I guess,” Alec finally said and bit his bottom lip the moment he saw Jace’s expression turned livid.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
“After dinner, he invited me over to his place for a cup of coffee,” Alec started the story as he, Jace and Clary now sat in the living room. He had both his hands clasped together, as he pressed the meaty part of his left hand, between his thumb and forefinger with his right thumb. Jace was about to open his mouth but Alec stopped him with a look. He had recalled the same story multiple times to the cops earlier that night, but that didn’t make it any much easier.  
  
“I’m not stupid, I knew what was going to happen. I was actually quite looking forward to it," Alec stopped, blushing and refused to look at Jace. "But once we got to his apartment, he told me to sit on the couch while he went to the kitchen to make the coffee. He came back out not too long after that with two cups of coffee but this was when I started noticing he was acting weird. He was being very specific about which cup he put in front of me and which one would be his. I was getting suspicious so I told him I wanted plain water instead. I could see he was kind of reluctant to leave back to the kitchen but after a while he did leave. Then I immediately exchanged our cups and when he returned, he drank the coffee from the cup that was supposed to be mine. Well, then a few minutes after that, he passed out.”  
  
“Alec!” Clary whispered. She looked absolutely flabbergasted, her fingers touching her lips. Jace on the other hand had stood up and began pacing back and forth.  
  
“I hope you taught that son of a bitch a lesson. What was he trying to pull?” Jace said after he had stopped pacing and stared straight at Alec’s direction. “Alec, what if you had drank from that cup?”  
  
“I know! Fuck. I know, Jace. I got lucky. But then when I looked at him, I just began to think that yeah, sure I got lucky. But had there been others before me? So I called the cops,” Alec continued, picking up a glass of water Clary had brought for him. He took a few sips, calmer this time. “Luke is working the night shift tonight so he takes over the case. Apparently that guy is a registered sex offender in several other states.” Clary put a comforting hand on his shoulder. On any other day, Alec would’ve glowered at her for even touching him but it felt nice. It anchored him somehow. “I have to go back to the station tomorrow morning to give some statements.”  
  
“We’ll go with you,” Clary said, sharing a look with Jace. Jace gave her a short smile and nodded.  
  
“But Jace, one more thing. Don’t tell mom,” Alec said and there was a finality in his voice that didn’t leave any room for argument so once again, Jace just nodded his head, sharing another look with Clary that Alec couldn’t understand.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
Magnus was still only half-awake when he left his bed and made way for the front door. It was still early, the sun had barely showed up, so Magnus wondered who had come to pay him a visit. He slapped at his cheeks gently a few times to wake himself up and made sure that his hair wasn’t too messy before he opened the door.  
  
“Lucian, what a pleasant surprise,” he greeted once he saw who was waiting at the other side of the door. Magnus had met the detective about a year ago when he had brought in his inconsolable friend, Catarina to the hospital. He still shuddered whenever he had to recall how that morning Catarina had called him. Magnus was barely able to decipher what she was saying since she was sobbing uncontrollably and then the line just went dead. Feeling worried to the pit of his stomach, Magnus immediately went to Catarina’s apartment all the way across the city.  
  
What he saw when he arrived broke his heart. Catarina was curled in a foetal position in her bathtub, fully clothed with the shower running. She was crying so hard, to the point where she was almost unable to breathe. It was with great difficulty Magnus was finally able to calm her down enough to get her to talk. And what he found out later made his blood boil even to this day.  
  
“Magnus Bane. I’m sorry to have come so early but…” Luke started, giving Magnus a curt smile in which the man returned. “We may have a new lead regarding your friend’s rape case.”  
  
At his words, Magnus felt for a moment as if the world had stopped spinning. It had been one year of nothing, no clues whatsoever about whoever who had hurt Catarina. It had taken a long time for Catarina to finally recover and Magnus knew full well the scar was still there. The nightmares never ended.  
  
“You want to reopen her case?”  
  
“I know by reopening the case it will also reopen her wound. But we finally got enough proof and already caught the culprit. Catarina would want to see him being brought to justice. We will need her as a witness,” Luke explained. From the tone of his voice, Magnus had no doubt that Luke was truly empathetic, he truly cared about justice and Catarina’s well-being. But that didn’t make any of this any easier. “That’s why I came to you first. I hope you can speak with her, considering you know her more. It’ll be better coming from someone she knows and trusts rather than a cop she met a few times one year ago.”  
  
Magnus inhaled deeply, crossing his arms over his chest and let his breath our slowly. “I can try but I can’t make any promises,” Magnus finally decided. Luke nodded in understanding, holding out his hand towards Magnus.  
  
“That’s all I can ask for. Thank you,” the man said as Magnus accepted the gesture and shook hand with the man. After a moment, Luke excused himself to go back to the precinct and left. Magnus watched Luke’s retreating back until he was out of sight before getting back into his apartment, all the while thinking, how in the hell should he bring up this topic to Catarina.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What do you guys think of this new development? To be truthful, my original plan for this story didn't involve this AT ALL but yeah. 
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter. See you next week!
> 
> xxLina


	6. The One Where They Met Again

“Are you ready?” Magnus asked as he put the car in parking mode, turning to the passenger seat to look at his best friend. Catarina bit her trembling lower lip, taking in a deep breath and threw her sight out the window. “Catarina, are you sure you want to do this? Just say the word, I will reverse this car and we’ll tell Luke we can’t help him with the case.” He reached over and took her hand into his, squeezing lightly hoping that he would be able to give her some sense of strength.

 

The woman looked considering for a moment. Magnus could almost see the wheels turning in her head. After a while though, she shook her head and faced him, a forced, tight smile tugging at her lips. He returned the smile, trying to reassure her. He knew that Catarina was never the one to back away from anything.

 

“I’m okay. It’ll be fine,” she said and he knew she was trying to reassure herself as much as him. Magnus studied Catarina for a moment more and finally deciding that yeah, they were doing this, he gave her hand another minute squeeze before killing off the car engine.

 

“Well, let’s go then,” he said in an exhale as they both exited the car and made their way into the police station.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Alec followed Luke out of the interview room in silence. Despite everything, his brain was still unable to wrap around the events that had been unfolding since the night before. Luke led him out, smiling politely as a uniformed officer came over and whispered something to the older man. Luke nodded, his facial expression turned serious, more serious than usual.

 

“Thank you, Alec for coming,” he said which Alec only replied with a shrug. “This guy was the prime suspect of a rape case about a year ago but we didn’t have enough proof to convict him. With your report, we’ve got a new lead for the case.”  
  
“I just don’t want him to hurt anyone else,” Alec mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck as he imagined what would’ve happened if he hadn’t been suspicious of the drink.

 

This was the kind of thing he always only read in the news or watched on TV, shaking his head in pity towards the victims. It was one of those things people would think ‘this won’t happen to me’. But it did happen and he was shaking on the inside, only able to remain as composed as he was in the public eyes due to years of training himself to keep his emotions in check.

 

Luke nodded again, understanding, as they both walked into the front office. Alec was about to bid Luke goodbye when his eyes caught the sight of Magnus sitting in the waiting area next to a woman who had her head hung low. His arm was around her shoulders and as if sensing that he was being watched, Magnus looked up and his eyes caught Alec’s. Magnus removed his arm from around the woman and stood up abruptly, making her raising up her head. She frowned, confused, looking at both Alec and Magnus back and forth.

 

“Alexander,” Magnus called, a small, an unsure smile tugging at the corner of his mouth and Alec cursed the stars he was born under. Why did he always end up in such awkward situation? Once again he raised up his hand to absentmindedly rub at the nape of his neck.

 

“Hey,” he muttered, remembering why he went to that blind date that got him in this mess to begin with.

 

Magnus was still as good-looking as Alec remembered him to be and Alec had to swallow a lump that had formed in his throat as he roamed his eyes all over Magnus, from head to toe. He had to physically tear his eyes away, chastising himself internally at the obvious inappropriate thoughts his mind was conjuring. Luke cleared his throat beside him and Alec tried to shake off the jittery feelings in the pit of his guts.

 

“You knew each other?” Luke asked, pointing the folder he was holding towards Magnus and Alec respectively, eyebrows raised quizzically. Magnus took a few steps forward.

 

“We’re… acquainted,” Magnus answered. Luke stared at both of them with those raised brows for a few more seconds before deciding that it really wasn’t his business as he addressed the woman that came with Magnus. She had stood up as well and was now standing close to Magnus.

 

“Miss Loss, thank you for coming. I know this must’ve been hard for you,” Luke said. She still didn’t say anything, her lips pressed together in a tight line. “Oh, let me introduce you. This is Mr. Alec Lightwood. He was the one who helped bringing in Joseph Matthews into our custody. We believe we have found new proofs to tie him with your case as well.”

 

“How?” the woman finally opened her mouth, looking at Alec with unreadable eyes.  

 

Alec recalled what Luke had told him earlier. How there was a case one year ago of a woman being date raped but the rapist managed to roam free because of the lack of evidence. Luka had said, the justice system was flawed but that was the best tool they had to bring justice to the people and seeing this woman in front of him, Alec prayed that Joseph would get what he deserved.

 

“This is not the best place to talk,” Luke interjected, looking around at the bustle of the station. “Let’s go into the interview room. Uh… do you need Magnus with you?”

 

She and Magnus exchanged looks and Alec didn’t miss how Magnus slid his palm into hers and squeezed her hand. Her face then hardened as she lifted up her chin and squared her shoulders. “No, I can do this by myself. Magnus, can you wait for me here while I talk with detective Garroway?”

 

“Sure, Catarina,” Magnus replied, one last squeeze on her palm then he released her hand. Catarina took a deep breath and followed as Luke led him towards the interview room, leaving Magnus and Alec behind.

 

Alec didn’t know what to do or say so he did the only think he could think of. He fished out his phone from the pocket of his jeans and began fiddling with it, as if he was checking on a text or something, just so he wouldn’t look awkward standing there with Magnus still staring at him. Out of the corner of his eyes, Alec could see Magnus beginning to step closer before stopping right in front of him.

 

“Do I even want to know what happened or it’s better to leave me confused?” Magnus started, head tilting to the side and watched Alec with calculating eyes. Alec sighed, giving up on pretending to be engrossed with his phone and pocketed the device back into the jeans.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“Oh, wow,” Magnus breathed out, leaning back against his chair as he shook his head in disbelief.

 

Both he and Alec decided to wait for Catarina to finish going over the case with Luke at the coffee shop right across the street. Right now, they were sitting opposite of each other on the table by the window overlooking the busy street of Brooklyn. Alec traced the rim of his half-drank cup as he shrugged, trying not to meet Magnus’ eyes.

 

He had just finished retelling his encounter with Joseph the night before to Magnus, conveniently leaving out the part where the reason he went on that date was to lose his virginity so he wouldn’t be such an idiot in front of Magnus.

 

“Yeah, wow. I kept on thinking. What if I weren’t paying attention? What if I had drunk from that cup? What would’ve happened, you know?” Alec had to stop, biting his bottom lip and inhaled deeply to stop the wavering of his voice. “I have to keep telling myself that I got lucky this time. But what if, y’know? When we hear or see this kind of news in the media, we always have something to say, telling the victims to do things differently, to be more careful. But…”

 

“Hey,” Magnus stopped him, reaching across the table to stop Alec from shredding the paper napkin he didn’t realize was being twisted rather viciously in his hands. Alec released the napkin and returned Magnus’ look, his heart getting stuck in his throat when their gaze met. “You are the victim. Catarina is the victim. You can do everything in the book right. You can be the most cautious human in the whole universe. But bad people… they are bad. They don’t care if you’re cautious. They will take advantage of other people. This is on him, Alec. Joseph is a bad man.”

 

“I just feel like an idiot,” Alec whispered, not able to tear his eyes away. Magnus smiled kindly, the corners of his eyes crinkling slightly as he squeezed Alec’s hands. When Magnus pulled away, Alec had to mentally stop himself from reaching over and pull the man back so they would be touching again. As it was, Alec pulled his own hand and hid it under the table and returned Magnus’ smile.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Eip!!
> 
> I'm so sorry it took me a while to update. I have no excuses except I was too lazy to open my laptop and actually write anything.
> 
> Any thoughts and inputs are highly welcome. I'm also planning on another fic as we speak but I'm not sure if I'm ever going to write it considering this fic is still unfinished.
> 
> But anywho! Thank you for reading. I do hope you enjoy. I appreciate every hits, comments, bookmarks and kudos. You guys are the best!
> 
> xxLina


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